Munksjö announces collaboration with RecuLiner for release liner recycling

Munksjö announces that it has started cooperation with the Belgian company RecuLiner bvba to develop and promote recycling of silicone coated release liners from pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) label end-users into the production of Cellulose Fiber Insulation (CFI). 

Munksjö Release Liners Business Area is a global leading producer of release papers for the PSA industry. In 2013, the company had launched the www.full-circle.eu website offering to the PSA value chain information and easy access to the company's paper liner recycling program.The initiative provided to label printers, brand owners and retailers, a sustainable end-of-life option for paper release liners once they have been used as carriers of PSA labels. 

Reculiner is a Belgian privately owned company founded in 2010, which has developed a proprietary technology for recycling of silicone coated release liner into the production of Cellulose Fiber Insulation (CFI) material. Cellulose Fibre Insulation is increasingly used as a material for thermal and sound insulation of buildings and is so far typically produced from old newspapers. Thanks to RecuLiner technology, silicone coated release paper waste has proven to be an excellent substitute material for this purpose, resulting in an even better performing product.

Following to the agreement with RecuLiner, Munksjö will promote this new recycling option as part of its Full Circle program, and as a complementary possibility to its existing recycling opportunities into paper production. The first CFI producer licensed by RecuLiner is based in Belgium, allowing collection from release liner end-users in Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, France and Germany. Munksjö sponsoring will allow offsetting cost for logistics, so to offer in a large part of this area free of charge collection to end-users who join through Munksjö Full Circle program.

Marco Martinez, Product Manager Release Liners and Sustainability says: "The collaboration with RecuLiner provides a valuable opportunity to increase the number of available recycling options for paper release liners in Europe. It also further broadens the geographical coverage of our Full Circle recycling program, with a future opportunity to grow even further." In fact, the collaboration also targets licensing new CFI producers in other countries, so to increase the geographical coverage of the service.

Eric Van Pottelbergh, Managing Director of RecuLiner, comments: "Release paper waste is a perfect raw material for the production of cellulose fibre insulation, and this recycling solution is extremely advantageous from an environmental point of view, thanks to the huge energy saving potential provided by the end product. We are very pleased with Munksjö's support in the PSA industry and we trust this collaboration to be a cornerstone for a rapid roll out of our technology on a larger scale."